Blog

In 2021 it was the first NASCAR Cup Series dirt race in years and the Monterrey, Mexico native had no idea what to expect. His Trackhouse Racing crew visited Smoky Mountain Speedway in Marysville, Tennessee a few days before the Bristol race for him to drive a street car on the 0.4-mile dirt track.

With that vast experience, he came to Bristol to race in both the Truck Series and the dirt race of the NASCAR Cup Series. He finished 17th in the truck race, but put on a show when he got into his Cup car. Driving from his starting position of 18, Suárez finished fourth on Stage 1 and second on Stage 2. Both were the best results of stage at the time for his freshman Trackhouse team.

He led 58 laps and finished fourth as he battled for the win against drivers who grew up racing on gravel.

It was an incredible achievement for someone with almost no dirt racing experience and there was certainly no way he could back up that performance in 2022 when NASCAR held its second dirt race.

But he did.

After starting 21st last year, he took the lead at the start of the second stage. When it started to rain, Suárez led the next 64 laps before Christopher Bell passed him for the lead and finished Stage 2 in third place. Rain stopped the race for about an hour during the break between the second and third stages. When the weather cleared up, Suárez restarted 24th. A second red flag for rain halted the race for 16 minutes with 28 laps to go. The race restarted and saw Suárez drive from 17 to 12.

So what’s he going to do for a Sunday night encore with the Cup Series celebrating its third run on the dirt of Bristol?

Tune in to Fox on Sunday at 7 pm EDT to find out, and you’ll see Suarez driving the No. 99 Jockey Made in America Collection Chevrolet.

Jockey’s partnership with Trackhouse began last year and was the first team sponsorship of its kind in the clothing brand’s 147-year history. At the core of the partnership was the launch of the brand’s Made in America collection, an effort aimed at offering premium products, supporting the recovery of American manufacturing jobs, supporting families and farmers in local communities, and providing a more sustainable option for US consumers.

Jockey will return to the No. 99 in the race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on October 29. Jockey will appear two more times in 2023 as title sponsor of the No. 1 Chevrolet of Suarez’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Chastain at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway on April 30 and at Michigan Speedway in Brooklyn on August 6.